Facing Demons
by nicolestarshooter
Summary: Compainion to "In Need of A Friend". Lucas life hangs in the balance will he be saved, or will he be lost forever?
1. A Night of Fun

**This story is a companion to my previous story "A Friend in Need". **

**Disclaimer: As much as I would love to sadly I do not own seaQuest and make nothing off writing this story except the joy of entertaining all my readers. **

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><p>"Dad, why can't I get my license? Then you and Robert won't have to drive me everywhere," Lucas whined. Juliana was coming for a visit next week while they were on shore leave, and Lucas did not want either of them chaperoning.<p>

"You need time to practice driving when the tour is over in two months. Then you can get your license. Relax; you have only been sixteen a month. You have plenty of time to drive... later," Nathan explained.

"What am I going to do about shore leave next week? I have places I want to go to," Lucas asked, starting to get frustrated.

"Robert, or I can take you anywhere you want to go," Nathan said, not understanding Lucas's agitation. "Why are you so adamant on this, Lucas? Now or in two months; why does it matter?"

"Never mind," Lucas said, storming out of their quarters and heading to see Darwin.

Lucas loved his new father, but there were times Nathan made him feel like a little kid. With Lawrence Wolenczak, he always felt like he had to be an adult, but Nathan had the opposite effect. Lucas was halfway to the moonpool, lost in thought, when he bumped into Robert.  
>"Hey bro, what you been up to?" Robert asked, seeing the distressed look on Lucas's face.<p>

"Nothing," Lucas said, but soon changed his mind. "Robert, why is it, at times, Dad treats my like I am six and not sixteen?"

"He loves you. Look at it from a different angle. Dad did not have you as a kid, so he is pushing you to stay a kid as long as possible. True, you are a teenager, so you are one part kid, the other adult. Look at me, I'm twenty-eight, and Dad can still make me feel like I'm a child. You were fighting with Dad about your license again, weren't you?"

"So, it's not like I'm not old enough; I mean, I already know how to drive both the stinger and a launch. Why is he so reluctant for me to drive a car?" Lucas said, his frustration and anger now being directed at his older brother.

The week rolled by quickly, and shore leave began. Lucas and Robert headed to the main land with Miguel, Tim, and Ben.

"So, what are you planning with Juliana tonight?" Ben asked Lucas. Lucas sent him a glare. "What?"  
>"Who's Juliana?" Robert asked.<p>

"That would be your little brother's girlfriend," Miguel said. "They met on node 3."

"Ohh. You been with her that long?" Robert asked.

"Yes, now can we stop discussing my life and move to something else?" Lucas snapped.

"Be nice or you lose your ride tonight, little brother," Robert said.

"Sorry," he mumbled.

"Now, I know you don't want me and my date, Laura, to double with you guys, but it will be fun; I promise," Robert encouraged the upset teen.

"I still don't see why in the world you would ever go out on a date that Ben set you up on," Lucas laughed.

"Ben here may not be the smartest person," Robert said wrapping his arm around Ben's next, "but he knows his women; he had Katie for awhile, didn't he? At the very least it should be an interesting night."

The guys all hung out for a couple hours before Lucas and Robert left for their dates. They first set out to pick up Juliana from her hotel. Much to Lucas's concern, Juliana's brother stood behind. He watching Lucas intently as they went downstairs. As they made it to the car, Robert got out.

"Juliana, this is my older brother Robert; Robert, this is Juliana," Lucas said.

"Nice to meet you. Lucas talks about his family all the time," Juliana said, shaking Robert's hand. "I thought you had a date as well?"

"She is meeting us at the restaurant; Ben set him up on a blind date," Lucas said.

Lucas and Juliana sat in the back seat while Robert drove. The restaurant was across town, so it took them a good twenty minutes to reach it. The _Maison De L'amour_

was one of the best restaurants in town, which Lucas easily talked his father into getting them reservations to on such short notice. They walked in, all dressed in their best.

"Reservation for Bridger," Robert said.

"Yes sir, table five; right this way please," the waiter said.

As they approached the table Laura was already waiting for them. She was a tall brunette with green eyes. She wore a short red dress that complimented her eyes.

"You must by Laura," Robert said, extending his hand. "I'm Robert, and this is my brother, Lucas and his date, Juliana."

"Ben didn't say anything about this being a double date," she said, looking a little disappointed.

"My brother needed a ride for him and his date, so we decided to double. Ben knew he should have told you; sorry," Robert answered sincerely.

"That's sweet; not everyone would be that nice to their siblings. Do you have any other family?" she inquired as her displeasure faded.

"No just me, Lucas, and our dad," Robert said, getting a little uncomfortable by the personal questions. "So how do you know Ben?"

"I was Katie's maid of honor at their wedding four years ago. I've known Katie since high school; she helped talk me into to going out with you," Laura explained and then turned to Lucas and Juliana. "I don't mean to pry, but how come you and Robert aren't that close in age?"

Lucas looked at Robert with nervous eyes and tried to ignore the question.

"What?" she asked, noticing Lucas's nervousness.

Robert took a deep breath, putting his arm around Lucas. "The reason is Lucas is adopted, but we don't advertise it. He is still be little brother, and I care about him."

"Sorry, I tend to pry too much," Laura apologized.

"Oh, Lucas," Juliana said, trying to change the subject. She reached in her purse and pulled out a computer chip. "Wolfman wanted me to give you this computer program to look over for him."

"He told me about that; thanks," Lucas said, happy for the change of subject. Lucas hated to talk about the adoption and Lawrence; it brought back too many bad memories.

The date was progressing well. Afterwards, they talked about random topics. Juliana talked about science and computers while Robert and Laura talked about government and more current events. Soon, the date ended; Robert drove Juliana back to her hotel. Lucas did not dare kiss her goodnight with his brother watching.

"Talk to you on the Internex later. And, tell Wolfman I will look at his program as soon as I can. Night," Lucas said, then headed back down to the car. As Lucas entered the elevator, there was only one other man inside. Lucas felt a sharp pain in his neck before he collapsed onto the ground. Unknown to the danger, his brother was in Robert sat silently waiting in the car.

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><p>Thank you everyone one for reading my story. I hope to have another new chapter really soon. Please Read and Review, I love hearing from you guys your amazing.<p> 


	2. Persuasian

**Sorry it has been so long since I updated I had a bit of writers block, but here is another new chapter just for you guys. Sadly I still don't own seaQuest. **

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><p>Robert became frustrated; Lucas had been saying goodnight to Juliana for half an hour and Robert was ready to head back to the ship. They should have met the other at the launch 10 minutes ago. Robert slammed the car door getting frustrated and went up to Juliana's room and knocked on the door. Juliana answered.<p>

"Sorry to interrupt, but Lucas and I need to be heading back to the ship," Robert said politely, scanning the room inside for Lucas.

"He left 25 minutes ago," Juliana said, panicking. "Is something wrong?"

"I hope not. Can I use the vid-phone so I can call our dad?" Robert said.

"Of course." And as Juliana moved, Robert raced to the phone, feeling something was terribly wrong.

Soon Robert got Captain Nathan Bridger, aka his and Lucas's father, on the line. Nathan noticed his eldest son's strained expression and saw a worried Juliana in the background.

"What's wrong, Robert?" Nathan said, trying not to sound worried till he knew the situation.

"Lucas is missing. He went into the hotel to say goodnight to Juliana, I waited in the car. That was fourty minutes ago. Juliana says he left five minutes after they got to the hotel, but I never saw him come out. He's been missing over thirty minutes; it is not like Lucas to wonder off. I'm worried, Dad," Robert said as fear crept into his voice. He had not known Lucas long but would still do anything for his little brother.

"Search the building. I will be there in about fourty-five minutes with security," Nathan informed him before leaving.

The next fourty-five minutes were endless for both Nathan and Robert. To them, Lucas never seemed to get a break in life. His parents had never cared; then, they both died. He now had a chance at happiness, but bad things kept happening. In the last few months, Lucas had been shot, cut, and nearly drowned. Now, once again, he had been kidnapped. Nathan's mind raced as he tried to figure out who had a reason to take his son again. Lucas was barely sixteen. Sure, he was too smart for his own good sometimes, but why were people constantly going after his son? They had finally arrived at the hotel when Robert ran out to meet him.

"Still no sign of him?" Nathan asked.

"No, but we know he was kidnapped. I got the security guard to go over some footage and while _idiot_ had been napping we caught, on tape, the person who took Lucas in the elevator footage," Robert said. "He is not Section Seven because I don't recognize him, but we have a lot of other enemies. Plus, Lucas can be useful to a lot of people."

Lucas slowly began to regain consciousness. As he slowly tried to move. he realized he was chained to a wall, and the room was pitch-black. Lucas could see nothing around him. He sat there for what seemed like hours until the door finally opened, and the lights were finally turned on.

"I see you are finally awake now. We can get down to business. My name is Marco Diego, and I have a job for you," Diego said with a menacing voice. "You are going to give me the access codes to the UEO Navel Submarines. I want to be able to control all of them."

"And if I say no?" Lucas replied with determination in his voice.

"Trust me; I have ways to persuade you to listen. Think about it. I will return." And, with that, Diego walked out of the room.

"Any leads yet. Dad?" Robert asked nervously. It had been hours since Lucas had gone missing, and they had not found any leads nor were their any ransom demands.

"No, nothing yet. None of the guests or staff remember seeing him after he left Juliana's," Nathan said, wearily wringing his hands together. "The footage just proves he was kidnapped; there is no one in the UEO database coming close to him."

"Not surprised; people can easily change appearances. I had to do it enough," Robert said, thinking back to the horrid days of working for Section Seven. While the knowledge and training was handy, he hated the carnage he caused.

"Captain," Ortiz said as he walked into the room. "I have a man who saw a boy fitting Lucas's description being loaded into car. He said he thought Lucas was asleep and thought nothing of it till I asked him about it."

"Why had he not come forward hours ago?" Robert asked harshly.

"Apparently, he is a cook in the restaurant of the hotel. He was heading home at the time and did not realize there was a problem. He just came back to work," Miguel explained.

"So, now we have a description of the car and a witness," Nathan put together. "Miguel, you and Tim get all the footage from street cameras around the hotel. We're going to track the car."

"Yes, Sir," Miguel said before heading out to find Tim.

Lucas looked up as the door once again creaked open.

"Good; you're awake again. Now for my little proposition-are we doing this the easy way or the hard way?" Diego asked, holding Lucas's chin and staring into his eyes.

"I won't help you-ever," Lucas said and spat in the man's face. Suddenly Lucas's head was whipped to the side as Diego's hand made contact with Lucas's face.

"You _will_ do as I asked. You just need a little encouragement," he laughed and then snapped his fingers. Two thugs walked into the room. "They will help you decide." Then, turning to the two large men, he said, "He's all yours, but remember, we need him in one piece." With that, he walked out of the room.

The two men unchained Lucas and forced him to stand. Lucas tried to run for the door but it was locked.

"That was stupid, Boy," one man said as he punched Lucas in the gut, causing him to double over. "Mr. Diego has a job for you, and you will do it. Or, the fun will continue." He kicked Lucas hard in his weaker leg, causing him to collapse. "_God,"_ he thought,"_every time I make progress with my leg people, keep kicking me." _Then Lucas felt repeated punches and kicks that were unbearable before all went black.

"Sir," Tim O'Neill said, getting the captain's attention. "The footage we have collected shows that they headed north out of town, but once they left the city limits, we lost them."

"That's good; we have a start," Nathan said, "We will find my son." "And, Dad, once we do, I am giving him a personal tracking device," Robert put in. "So where do we go from here? I mean, last time, we were lucky the idiots let Lucas near a computer, but what if these men don't?"

"Lucas is too bull-headed to give up. He will find a way to contact us," Nathan said, pulling Robert into a hug. It never stopped amazing him how close he and Lucas had gotten the last couple months.

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><p><strong>Thank You all so much for reading please rate and review. You are all amazing.<strong>


	3. Hide and Seek

**I am so sorry it has taken so long to update but I hope you enjoy. **

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><p>Lucas awoke no longer chained to the wall; every movement hurt. "<em>Dad, please find me<em>," he thought, "_Robert, I don't know how much longer I can do this._" Lucas hated to feel weak or helpless. He had been on his own since an early age; his parents were never there, so he had learned to count on himself. But with Nathan and Robert, he had let himself become dependent. The room was still pitch black; Lucas could not even see his hand in front of his face. Once again, light flooded the room as the door opened. Lucas squinted at the intensity of the light.

"Are you ready to do as you are told, young Lucas?" Diego asked as he approached Lucas grabbing his chin and looking in his eyes. "Or do you need a little more persuasion? It is not that difficult to just override the weapons' control of the UEO fleet of submarines."

Lucas's only answer was to spit in his face. This won him another slap, and Diego pulled out a knife and gently moved it across Lucas's cheek threatening to use it at any moment. A shiver ran up Lucas's spine as he saw and felt the blade on his skin. Diego slowly moved the blade down his face and neck, then cut open Lucas's shirt. Diego slowly began carving into Lucas's chest. Lucas struggled and yelled; after a few moments more, Diego got off of Lucas and simply left the room, leaving Lucas, once again, in total darkness. Lucas had no idea how long he had been in that room. Hours? Days? He could only pray for rescue, but the captors were not going to make it easy.

A few hours passed before three men came rushing in. "We are moving you somewhere safer; let's go," one of them said, hauling Lucas to his feet. They tied him up and gagged him before throwing him in the back of a van.

"Sir, we are ready to move in on the target," Crocker said over the radio as they approached a seemingly deserted building.

"Move in," Bridger gave the command.

It took them twenty minutes to completely search the building.

"Sir, I think you should come to the basement," Miguel called over the radio after they had arrived. "No sign of Lucas, but there are trace amounts of blood on the floor; I got a sample so Doctor Westphalen can test it."

"Good work, but I hope it isn't Lucas's," Bridger said.

"Me too, Sir"

"That could have been close," Diego boasted, "Luckily, my contact told us they were coming, so we have more time together. So, are you going to do as I asked or not?"

"Go to Hell, you bastard," Lucas yelled, earning himself yet another slap.

"Now, now; didn't your Daddy ever tell you to watch you mouth?" he mocked. "We have contacts and spies everywhere. We can keep you are in our custody until we are done with you. So. if you want to go home. you can simply do as you are told because sooner or later my employer will grow tired of you which means you will never see your family again. They, however, will only find your mangled body. Your choice. We will leave you to think." And Diego and his henchmen left without another word.

For the first time since being taken, Lucas broke down. How was he goning to be found if there was some one warning Diego ahead of time. As childish as it sounded, he just wanted to be home. He thought of the night before his date. Robert, Ben, and the guys had just hung out. He enjoyed the time with the guys where he was not a crew member or a kid, but just one of the guys. "_Will I ever get to do that again?_" he pondered. "_Will I ever get out of here?_"

Nathan Bridger sat talking to Admiral Noyce on the vid-link.

"Nathan, there is nothing I can do. _SeaQuest_ is being ordered to ship out tomorrow," Bill said. "Its been a week and people above me don't see the need for delaying _seaQuest_. Yhey will continue to search, but _seaQuest_ has a job to do."

"Then _seaQuest_ can ship out, but I will not be its captain. My son comes before any damn navy ship," Bridger said, getting more angry.

"I knew you would feel that way. I have worked it out for Commander Ford to take temporary command until we find Lucas. I haven't given up on him yet either, Nathan; we will find him. All the senior crew have to stay on board but Robert is allowed to stay with you. Lucas may not be your biological son, but he can be just as stubborn as you." With that, Noyce hung up, and Nathan got ready to tell everyone the news.

**Two hours later**

"We have new orders," Nathan began as everyone had assembled. "They are shipping _seaQuest _out first thing tomorrow morning. Commander Ford will be in charge, and all of you are ordered to be onboard." An uproar began of protest from everyone. "We are _not_ giving up on Lucas. Robert and I will be continuing the search, but the rest of you are under orders. Lucas would not want you court-martialed. We will keep you posted and join you as soon as we find Lucas."

"Nathan, I will stay with you also," Kristin said. "You know I love Lucas like he was my own, and I can't work until I know he is okay."

"That is you decision, and I would be happy to have you," Nathan said, trying to hold back tears of worry. "You have your orders; you are all dismissed."

Everyone filed slowly out of the room, but Kristin and Robert stayed with an obviously distressed Nathan.

"Dad, is there something you're not telling us?" Robert asked, looking in his father's eyes.

"Noyce told me that, at this point, they are looking for a body. They have given up on finding him alive," Nathan said with a sorrow-filled voice. "I won't admit it. Lucas is alive; I know it." And with that, he left an astonished Kristin and Robert.

"I have never seen Dad like this before. I mean, I know he cut himself off after he thought I was dead, but he seems so despaired. If anything happens to Lucas, I don't think Dad will be able to handle it," Robert admitted to Kristin.

"I know Lucas was the one who brought him out of his last depression. I don't think he would have joined on the _seaQuest_ if _not_ for Lucas. I worry about him too," Kristin answered as they walked out.

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><p><strong>Thank you all so much for reading. Please rate and Review you all . <strong>


	4. A Friend in Dark Times

**Here is yet another chapter I was so happy to write this so quickly. Then also I have a amazing beta reader (Darkin520) who got it back to me so quickly. So I hope you all enjoy. **

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><p>"Is he complying yet?" Diego asked one of his operatives.<p>

"He is still refusing. Maybe we should find a different hacker? It's been a week; he could die before we get him to do anything," the operative replied.

"_He_ is the only hacker powerful enough to crack all those UEO codes. We need those submarines to over throw the UEO. Submarines are their best defense we must destroy it. As for Lucas, he is simply a week closer to breaking. In my experience, any one can be broken with the right patience and treatment. Time for faze two; we need to bring in a friend for Lucas," Diego said with a cenacle laugh while looking at a picture of their next target.

Kristin looked sat out on the balcony of her hotel room. It was after midnight; they had tried to get a lead on Lucas all day, but they came up empty. The doctor in her told her she needed a good night's rest while the mother in her was keeping her up with worry. Lucas was like a son to her. Sure, he was cocky and had an attitude, but under it all, he was a gentle spirit that screamed for love. Kristin wiped away the tears that were beginning to fall as she sipped on her tea. She began to feel drowsy, so she headed to bed.

The next morning, Bridger and Robert began stirring in the next room. Bridger knocked on the connecting door to awaken Kristin. Half an hour later, they headed down for breakfast.

"Where is Kristin? Normally she is up by now," Robert asked.

"I don't know. I thought she'd meet us down here. I'll go back up and check on her," Bridger said.

As he approached the elevator, Nathan got a sinking feeling and knew something had to be wrong. He used a pass key and entered Kristin's room and saw no one was there. He quickly got on the phone to call Noyce.

"Nathan, have you found anything on Lucas?" Bill asked when he saw Nathan on the vid-link.

"Kristin is missing!" Nathan informed him.

"What?"

"We got up this morning, and when she didn't meet us for breakfast, we went to check on her. But, she wasn't in her room. She's just...gone," Nathan said, sounding desperate. "Robert is downstairs I need to tell him."  
>"I will inform the search teams that we are also looking for Doctor Westphalen as well as Lucas," Noyce said before signing off.<p>

"Well Doctor, let me introduce myself. I am Marco Diego, and I have a special job for you where your expertise will come in handy. I assume you know our young Lucas-"

"What have you done with him? If you hurt him, so help me," Kristin said hotly as her temper rose.

"Sadly, he is not doing as he is told, so we are trying persuade him. _You_ are going to be his caretaker in a way. We don't want anything happening to the sweet boy before he does his job. Vega, please escort the doctor to her quarters?" Diego asked.

Kristin studied the house. Diego actually had them in a huge mansion. "What could this man want with them in a place like this?" she wondered. All thought stopped when she entered a room. She immediately saw Lucas laying on a bed across the room. She attempted to run over to him, but the guard gripped her arm.

"If you need anything, knock on the door. The dresser on the left wall has bandgaes and antibiotics you may need. You use any of it against any guard, and you lose the right to it," Vega informed her and then left.

"Oh Lucas," Kristin sighed, approaching him, "My poor boy, what have they done to you?" she whispered as she pushed stray hair from his face.

Kristin quickly went into doctor mode and assed the damage. She gently removed his shirt to look at the bruising. "_Let him be embarrassed later," _she thought. Lucas never woke; he gave moans as she removed his shirt. She gently ran her hand over the dark purple bruising of his abdomen and knew he had broken and cracked ribs. Slowly Lucas began to stir.

"Lucas, wake up, honey" Kristin begged, gently stroking his bruised face.

"Doc? Where am I?" he asked, both scared and confused.

"_We_ are in a house, _somewhere_. I was taken to look after you. Can you tell me where it hurts the most?"

"My chest and stomach."

"Okay, I am going to examine you, but this is going to hurt. So bare with me, okay?"

"Okay," he whispered.

Kristin carefully ran her hands over Lucas's chest and ribs applying pressure in curtain areas to assess damage. Luckily, she did not feel any broken ribs, but she could not know the full extent without an x-ray. The bruising was also causing swelling that made Lucas even more uncomfortable. Lucas was bruised nearly everywhere, and Kristin was worried about some cuts on his chest becoming infected. She walked over to the dresser to get bandages and cleaned out the cuts. She was disappointed that there weren't any kind of pain killers in the medical supplies; only bandages and cleaning products. It took her nearly an hour to fully look over Lucas and fix him the best she could. It worried her how quiet he was except for the occasional moan or whimper of pain, but he never spoke. She had tucked him under the covers, and he started to relax. But, when Diego walked into the room, Lucas stiffened.

"How are you settling in? Is there anything you need? We don't need the boy getting worse; he has a very important job to do," Diego said cheerfully while smiling at the two hostages in the room.

"You need to let us go. Lucas _needs_ a hospital and supplies you don't have here," Kristin said still gripping Lucas's hand.

"I am afraid that is simply not possible, but I am a wealthy man, doctor. Just tell me what you need, and I can get it."

"Fine; I need morphine. But, if that's not possible, any kind of pain reliever will suffice. Ice right now will reduce swelling," Kristin began, thinking out loud. After listing things off, she finally said,  
>"I can make you a list."<p>

"Very good; you are learning much faster then Lucas. He wouldn't be in this condition if he'd cooperated like you are doing. Give your list to my guards, and you will have your supplies in the next couple of days. I will get some ice packs here in a few minutes. Have a good day." And with that, he left.

Kristin turned back to Lucas who looked so scared. That worried Kristin more. Lucas had been held hostage before and shot, but never had Kristin seen this kind of fear in his eyes. Ten minutes later, a guard dropped off food, water, ice, and aspirin. Kristin put the ice around Lucas's chest, causing him to flinch.

"The ice will help reduce the bruising and swelling so your chest will not hurt as much," she explained, trying to calm the hurting boy.

She then helped him eat and gave him the aspirin, hoping she'd soon get something stronger for the pain. Before too long, Lucas drifted into a restless sleep, and Kristin kept a vigil over him, never leaving his side.

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><p><strong>Thank you all for reading please rate and review, I love hearing from all of you.<strong>


	5. A Role of the Dice

**HEre is yet another new chapter. I have just been on a role with writing lately. I hope you enjoy. **

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><p>Commander Ford assembled the senior crew in the ward room; he had urgent news for all of them. He looked around the room at all their inquisitive faces wondering how to break the news, so he just began. "Early this morning, I got a call from Captain Bridger with some news-"<br>"Did they find Lucas?" Ben asked quickly.

"Not yet," Ford replied, choosing to ignore the interruption. "Sometime last night, Doctor Westphalen was taken from her hotel room." There were gasps and murmurs throughout the room. "The Captain believes they may be the same people to who took Lucas. They don't have any leads; no one saw anything."

"Are they wanting us to return?" Commander Hitchcock asked.

"No, we are staying out. The captain was just giving us an update."  
>"Commander Ford to the Bridge," sounded over the PA.<p>

"You are all dismissed." Then, Ford left.

"Poor Captain Bridger. First Lucas, now Kristin. He must be heartbroken," Katie said once she and Ben were the only ones left in the room.

"As bad as it sounds, I am hoping at least Lucas and Kristin are together; the thought of Lucas alone is worse," Ben said..

"I agree. If they are together, Kristin will watch over him."

"So how are we feeling today?" Diego asked with a smile. "Ready to do as you are told, Lucas?"

"Lucas is not doing anything today; he needs rest," Kristin tried to explain, "Why are we here; what is it you want?"

"I want to end this pathetic form of government known as the UEO. Lucas, here, is going to hack into the UEO mainframe and give me the access codes for complete control of the UEO Naval Fleet, which will render them powerless to stop any attack on them, especially from me."

"He is just a child; he can't hack into one of the most secure networks in the world," Kristin snapped.

"Don't play stupid with me, Doctor. Lucas is the best hacker out there. He could easily make it into any network," Diego informed her. "Now Lucas, are you going to do as you are told?"

"Never," came his weak reply.

With that, Diego snapped his fingers, and the guards approached, grabbing Lucas and dragging him out of the room.

"What are you doing? You can't do this. He's just a child; leave him alone," Kristin yelled while being restrained by Diego.

Lucas was unconscious when they brought him back nearly two hours later. Kristin went straight to work, trying to repair the damage the guards had done to his already weakened body. When she was nearly done, Lucas began to awaken. He began fighting with her against the pain.

"Lucas, honey, calm down. It's Dr. Westphalen." Kristin grabbed his arms, trying to stop him from harming himself. "Lucas, sweetie, please. It's okay."  
>"Doc?" he said once he realized where he was.<p>

"It's me; just lay still while I finish taking care of you, okay?" He nodded as the door opened once more.

"Dad, I am so worried. It has been nearly two weeks since we lost Lucas and now, Kristin. And there're still no leads, What are we going to do?" Robert asked.

"We are never going to give up; I know in my heart that they are not dead. We just need the right connection," Bridger answered.

"Connections…..?" Robert pondered.

"What?"

"I've got it!" Robert replied excitedly.

"What?"

"I had a lot of connections when I worked for Section Seven. I can't be sure they will work with me now, but there may be a few of them who who will. We'll need to find out why Lucas and Kristin were taken to get the right lead though," Robert said.

"Well, I understand taking Lucas. There is nothing your brother can't do with a computer, but where would Kristin fit into all of that?"

"Dad, I hate to say it this way, but we both know how stubborn Lucas can be. And there are forms of persuasion that could leave Lucas needing a doctor," Robert said sadly. He had seen a lot of people tortured in his time and hated Lucas going though something like that.

"Let's not focus on that. Instead, we will get hold of your contacts, and hopefully, find a lead."

Diego walked into the room, watching Kristin take care of Lucas for a couple of minutes before making his presence known.

"The supplies you wanted are here. I will give you time to go through them. There is also food and water for the next few days. I will be away for about three days, and the guards will be outside the room at all times, so you will not be going anywhere. Sessions will continue when I return. You will find clean clothes as well. Good day." With that, he left as suddenly as he had come.

Kristin went over to the table where the guards deposited all the supplies and began going through them. She found a change of clothes for both of them. She stepped into the bathroom to change. She then went over to the medical supplies and found an IV and more bandages. Kristin looked over at Lucas, who had fallen asleep. After changing, she quickly took advantage of the fact Lucas was asleep and put in the IV and morphine before changing him into clean clothes, knowing how much Lucas would protest and never allow it.. She finished unpacking and went to thinking. They had three days to get out of there. Kristin knew Lucas would not do as Diego asked and that Lucas's body could not keep up with this treatment.

"Doc?" Lucas questioned upon waking and seeing a sleeping form in the chair next to him.

"I'm here Lucas; are you hungry?"

"Not really."

"How bad is your pain?"

"Bad."

"I need you to eat something; then I can give you something for the pain, okay?" Lucas nodded.

"Good. We need to get you feeling better. Mr. Diego is going to be gone for three days, so you need to feel better. Hopefully, Nathan will find us by then. He must been so worried about you."

"I hope so, too."

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><p><strong>Thank you for reading please rate and review.<strong>


	6. To Face the Music

**Wow I khave found some real inspiration for this story as of Late this is my third update this week. I hope you are all enjoying reading it as much as I have writing it. Enjoy!**

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><p>"Dad, I got a lead on one of my contacts. He told me about a man who is trying to consolidate power, a Marco Diego. He's not a fan of the UEO, and Section Seven has been keeping tabs on him for the last few months. In the last few weeks, he has been less public and has been moving secretly. His last know location was a small island fifty miles off the coast of Austrailia. He has a huge house, easy to hide any extra people. Plus, he has top security. He is our best bet, but we have one problem," Robert explained.<p>

"What problem?" Nathan Bridger asked.

"He is one of the wealthiest men in the world, and he's highly respected by many very powerful people. If we are wrong and don't find Lucas, the UEO will have a lot of damage control to do."

"I don't care about the UEO. I want my son back!"

"I thought you would say that, so I contacted Noyce. He is going to have _seaQuest_ dock tonight. Then we will move," Robert said with a smirk.

"How are you feeling this morning, Lucas?" Kristin said as she made breakfast and watched Lucas slowly walk to the table. He was still stiff when he moved; it worried her to think that Diego was going to be back today. Not very long after they finished eating, the door opened.

"Well, young Lucas, are you ready yet to do as you are told?" Diego asked, smiling like always.

"Go to Hell!" Lucas spat.

"Well, it seems your spirit is back; we will need to fix that."

Soon two men came in and, once again, dragged Lucas away, with Kristin's protest. Night fell, and still, Lucas did not return.

"Alright, we should be approaching Diego's island in ten minutes, so everyone get ready. We are going to approach the island from all sides and block off all means of escape; then, we'll search the house. Keep your PAL units on at all time for communication. Alright, let's move out," Bridger commanded, looking around at all his men.

Kristin paced the room nervously; it had been nearly twelve hours since they took Lucas away. She was seriously worried; he hadn't fully recovered from his last beating. Could he go through another? The door suddenly opened, breaking her train of thought. Lucas was unconscious when he was carried in by one of Diego's guards. He was in even worse condition than the last beating, and he had been whipped. Kristin had just started to go to work when alarms sounded, and Diego came in, followed by guards.

"We must leave. This location is no longer safe. We have people approaching the island as we speak," Diego said as the guard grabbed Lucas, and another grabbed Kristin.

"You can't keep running forever, and you should know Lucas will never do as you asked so why don't you just let us go?" Kristin pleaded with him.

"Not going to happen, so let's move. _Now_!"

Then, a new man ran into the room.

"Sir, UEO troops just landed; they've cut off all exits and are entering the building."

"Sir, we have all of the inhabitants of the house cornered in a room, but no one can get in. Do you want us to blow the lock, Sir?" Ortiz asked.

"Has anyone seen Kristin or Lucas?" Bridger asked.

"No. If they are here, they are in that room with Diego and some guards."

"Blow the lock, but be cautious; we don't want them to harm them," Nathan warned.

A few moments later, a small explosion blew open the door. Nathan and Robert were the first through the door. On the opposite side of the room was Diego, holding a gun on Kristin while Lucas was lying on the bed, unmoving behind Diego.

"Diego, let them go. Do you really want to go to prison for murder?" Nathan reasoned with him. "Just let them go, and we can work this out. No one has to be harmed further."

"Why let her go?" Diego stated, motioning to Kristin, "She is my ticket out of here. You let me walk out of here, and she will not die."

With all the commotion, no one noticed Lucas awakening behind the guards. Lucas heard the voices first and realized his father was there. He began to see the situation and Diego with Kristin in his arms. He moved as quickly as he could and knocked Diego over, causing a distraction. Lucas grabbed the gun as it flew out of Diego's hands. He pointed it at Diego as the _seaQuest _crew arrested all the guards. Bridger, after helping Kristin up, looked at Lucas.

"Lucas, it's okay; you can put the gun down," Bridger said, slowly approaching him. Lucas did not move,. "Lucas, he can't hurt you anymore; you are okay now. Your brother, the crew, and I are not going to let him hurt you ever again. I promise."

"Come on, Lucas; you don't want to hurt him. I have been there; you don't want to do this," Robert said, trying to talk him down too.

Lucas then slowly loosened his hold on the gun and sank to his knees. Nathan and Robert rushed over to him and caught him.

They took Lucas to_ seaQuest_,which was closer than a hospital, and Kristin and Doctor Levine went to checking him over. He was whipped severely on his back, covered in bruises and lacerations. It took them nearly three hours to patch him up. When they were finished, Kristin headed for the door.

"Nathan, we've finished patching him up, and he is resting," Kristin informed everyone in the hallway.

"How is he?" Nathan asked as Kristin motioned him to the side.

"He is covered in bruises. He was whipped and has a lot of lacerations. He is asleep right now and may be for a while yet, but he will recover, physically, in time. It is his mental health I am more worried about. The time, I was there, and he was so quiet and inactive, so unlike Lucas. Only time will tell. You can go sit with him"

With that, Nathan went into Medbay and took his normal set next to his son's bed.

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><p><strong>Thank you for all reading and reviewing the story please keep it up. Also thank you to my betawriter for being so quick with the review. You are amzing Darkin520.<strong>


	7. Author's Note

**I apologize for not updating but I am having some computer problems and as soon as I get it all sorted out I will be updating. I apologize for the having to pause the story at this point but it may be a couple weeks before I update. Please forgive me.**

**Nicolestarshooter**


	8. Time for Change

**Sorry for taking so long to update. You all rock, please enjoy. **

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><p>Nathan had fallen into a doze beside Lucas's bed when Robert and Kristin walked in. Robert brushed a stray hair from Lucas's face and sat in a chair beside the bed opposite his father. Kristin checked Lucas's vitals and watched the scene before her. Not a year ago, these three were not even a family. But now, they were inseparable to each other. "<em>Good, Lucas was going to need all the support he could get," <em>Kristin thought. What he had gone through in the last two weeks would leave the strongest men in disarray, let alone a sixteen year old boy. Slowly, Lucas began to stir, and then scream.

"No, please stop! No, I won't do it! No!" Lucas was yelling and thrashing around in his bed. Robert and Nathan were on him in a second, trying to calm him down.

"Lucas, kiddo, it's okay. It's Dad; you're safe now. Come on, wake up," Nathan begged.

"Hey little bro, you're okay; it is just a dream. Dad and I are here," Robert was saying at the same time, both men trying to hold Lucas down and stop him from injuring himself.

Slowly, he calmed and opened his eyes, looking at the men leaning over him.

"Dad, Bobbie?" he asked, thinking he was dreaming.

"Yeah kiddo, it is really us. You're safe now," Bridger said as he pushed away Lucas's bangs that had fallen into his face. "And you are never leaving my sight again, young man."

"Hey bro, don't you ever scare me like that again," Robert scolded.

"Okay," Lucas agreed.

"Now that you're awake, I need to give you an examination. So Nathan, Robert, if you will wait outside a moment," Kristin said in her doctor voice, seeing their reluctance. "You can stay right outside the door; he's not going anywhere." Slowly they left. Then, Kristin turned to Lucas, "Hi sweetheart, how are you feeling?"

"Like crap," Lucas whined. "It hurts everywhere."

"I know, honey. It will get better; I promise. Let me look over all your cuts, and then you can rest, okay?" He nodded. Soon, she had checked him over and was satisfied with what she saw. She let Nathan and Robert back in as Lucas was falling back to sleep.

Two days later, Lucas was healed enough to leave medbay and go back to his and Nathan's quarters. He refused to talk about his time under Diego's control, and he continued to have severe nightmares. He would wake up screaming. Lucas tried to stay awake as much as possible to avoid falling asleep and reentering those memories.

"Nathan, have you thought about having Lucas see a psychologist? He has been through a lot," Kristin pointed out.

"I have thought about it, but I don't think Lucas will talk to one. He can be stubborn, and we can't force him to talk," Nathan said. "There is only two weeks in this tour. If he is still acting withdrawn and quiet at that time, then I will find him a psychologist."

"Okay, but I think I know the perfect person."

"Who?"

"Her name is Wendy Smith; she is not only a psychologist but a doctor," Kristin offered.

"I think I know who she is but, I will think about it, but first, I want to give Lucas time and not force anything out of him. From experience, I know if we push, we will get nowhere with Lucas fast," Nathan stated as he turned to head for the bridge.

Nathan could not wait for this tour to end; it had been a long year, and he was looking forward to some alone time with his sons. He was planning to take then to spend their leave on his island. As soon as his shift ended, he left the bridge to Ford and headed to his quarters to check on Lucas.

"Hey kiddo, how was your day?" Bridger asked as he walked in the main room.

"Okay," he answered in his new quiet tone.

"What did you do?" Bridger asked, trying to entice his son in conversation.

"I just read a book and worked on a new program," he answered.

"What was the program for?"

"I am writing a better anti-hacker program for the _seaQuest_."

"Why, because that is what Diego wanted you to do?"

"I hate this!" he suddenly yelled.

"Lucas?"

"I hate being scared and everyone trying to get me to talk to them. YOU, ROBERT, BEN, AND DOC. YOU ALL ARE AT ME CONSTANTLY. JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!" he was screaming, then suddenly burst into tears.

Bridger moved next to him, trying to calm him down. "Lucas, we all care about you, and I am sorry if we all have been overbearing I will get everyone to back off, but you need to talk to someone about what you have been though. You can't keep it all bottled up, kiddo. It does not have to be me or any of the crew, but you need to talk to someone. Okay?" Lucas nodded as Nathan pulled him into a hug.

Soon Robert walked in, "Hey Dad, can I talk to you a minute? It's important"

"I'll be right back," Bridger told Lucas. Then, he left the room with Robert.

"I just wanted to tell you that I think Lucas has found someone to talk to."  
>"Who?"<p>

"I walked into your quarters this afternoon, and he was talking to someone on the Internex. I don't know who, but it was about his captivity. I did not stay, not wanting him to see me and all, but I thought you would like to know he is talking finally," Robert informed him.

"Well, someone is better than keeping it in. Oh, Lucas got mad earlier about all the attention he has been getting. That is what you walked in on, so could you let the crew know to lay off a little?" Bridger said. "I am going to go check on him; then we will meet you in the mess for dinner in an hour."

"Okay."

The next two weeks rolled by uneventful, and the tour ended. They had just dry-docked in New Cape Quest. Lucas was a little more animated than he had been, but still withdrawn. Nathan and Kristin wondered how he would react to being around everyone he had been on_ seaQuest_ since being removed from Diego's island.

Bridger walked into his quarters, "You all packed, kiddo?" Lucas jumped upon hearing Nathan's voice. "Sorry I didn't mean to startle you."

"I'm okay," he quietly replied, not even looking up from his now packed bag.

"So, we have a week here in New Cape Quest. I have boring meetings about repairs and improvements to _seaQuest_. Then, you, Robert, and I get a whole month off to spend on the island before repairs start. So, we need to head to launchbay to meet Robert. Let's go."

Bridger had not talked to Lucas about him seeing Doctor Smith yet, even though Lucas was talking to someone over the Internex, he was making no improvement. If anything, at times, he was worse. Just a week ago, Lucas had finished the new security system for _seaQuest. _He was talking to Chief Crocker about how to use it. Crocker was getting frustrated about the new system and shouted at Lucas about it. Lukas actually acted like Crocker was going to hit him. The old Lucas would have just kept up the argument. This worried Bridger how a new crew would affect Lucas in three months if he did not get outside help. They were meeting her tomorrow.

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><p><strong>Thank you all for reading please rate and review.<strong>


	9. A Decision is Made

**Here is yet another chapter for all you wonderful readers. Sadly I still do not own seaQuest, but here is my story so please enjoy. **

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><p>Robert spotted Lucas and Nathan walking into launchbay.<p>

"Hey buddy, what do you want to do today while Dad sits though his meetings? Robert inquired.

I don't know," Lucas whispered.

"We can always invite Ben and the guys to come along with us today," Robert said, hoping to entice his younger brother to go out on the town. He was noticeably nervous about leaving _seaQuest_ for the first time since being kidnapped again. "I guess," he replied quietly.

"Great, I will see if they are free," Robert said, trying to be optimistic.

"Okay boys," Nathan interrupted. "It's time to head to the mainland; you two ready?"

"Yeah," they both replied.

All three entered the launch along with Ben and Miguel. Lucas sat in the front with Nathan and the pilot while everyone else was in the back.

"Hey Ben, Miguel, do you have any plans for this afternoon?" Robert asked.

"No," they replied.

"Do you mind if you guys and Tim hang out with Lucas and me? I think he is still uncomfortable with being around strangers, and a group would really help him out," Robert explained, sounding hopeful.

"Sure; no problem," Ben said. "I am free all week."

"Thanks guys, Lucas needs all the support he can get, even if he won't admit it. Dad is going to take him to see someone tomorrow, so hopefully by the next tour, he will be back to the old Lucas again."

"Are you coming back for another tour?" Ben asked.

"I'm not sure. I love being on the boat and around you guys and my family, but I don't know if I want to be in the navy anymore," Robert told Ben. "Right now, I am going to focus on helping Lucas. I have three months to decide."

"What would you do?" Miguel asked.

"I haven't thought of that; I have always liked science. I could go back to college and get a degree, but I could learn around all the science staff on _seaQuest_ too. I just have to think about it."

Soon, they docked, and Robert, Nathan, and Lucas headed for their hotel rooms. Bridger got them an adjoining room for his own peace of mind. No matter how old his sons got, he could not help but want them close to protect them.

"Well, I have to head to a meeting. I will meet you tonight at eight in the hotel restaurant for dinner. You two, stay together and have fun till then," Nathan instructed.

"I don't need a babysitter," Lucas complained, sounding like his old self a little.

"Come on, Lucas, Ben and the guys are coming," Robert interceded quickly to make Lucas more comfortable. "We are not babysitting you, just having fun."

Lucas gave him one of his irritated looks before heading to take a shower.

"So, where are you guys going today?" Nathan inquired.

"I don't know yet; depends on where the guys want to go."

"No bars!" Nathan warned, "And please don't leave Lucas alone at any time."

"After last time, trust me; Lucas in not leaving my sight for a minute," Robert said.

"Well, I have to go; see you at eight," Nathan said as he walked out the door.

An hour later, Robert and Lucas met the guys for an afternoon on the town.

"So where to first?" Robert asked.

"I heard the mall just opened up a new computer store that carries the latest stuff. You want to go Lucas?" Ben asked.

"I don't care," Lucas said unemotionally. Lucas was a roller coaster; sometimes he was like his old self, but lately, he was withdrawn and quiet.

"Why not start at the food court? Then we can go store to store," Tim suggested.

"Sounds like a plan," Robert said. "We need to be careful of the time though. Dad will freak if Lucas and I are late to meet him for dinner at eight."

"Well then we have seven hours for whatever then," Ben said, "Let's go!"

Lucas was quiet the whole day. He just followed wherever the guys went. Not even walking into the computer store helped. He looked around all the time as if expecting someone to grab him at any second. They had only been at the mall about two hours when they left due to a scene that they had caused.

_They had just left a clothing store where Lucas had bought himself a new jersey. He thought he had put his wallet in his pocket, but he had missed and dropped it. A man in line behind Lucas had seen this and chased after the group, grabbing Lucas's arm. Lucas, fearing the worst panicked, hitting and yelling, trying to get the man to let go. Robert acted out of instinct and roughly pulled the man off Lucas and pinned him to a nearby wall. The man, not understanding the reaction, quickly tried to fix the situation. _

_"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you guys. The kid dropped his wallet, and I was just returning it," the stranger said, handing Robert the wallet as a peace offering as Lucas and the guys watched the scene. _

_"Sorry," Robert apologized. "I just get protective of my brother." _

_"No problem; I shouldn't have grabbed him like that." _

_"Thanks for returning his wallet." And with that, Robert and the guys quickly left the mall. _

They all went back to the hotel and hung out in Lucas and Robert's room. At 7:30, the guys left, and Lucas and Robert got ready to meet their dad for dinner. They ate in almost total silence Nathan was trying to think of a way to tell Lucas he would be going to a psychologist; he knew Lucas would not take it well at all. When they finally made their way back to the hotel room, Nathan decided to tell him.

"Lucas, tomorrow morning, you have an appointment with a new doctor," Nathan started to explain.

"Why?" he interrupted. "The bruises are almost gone, and Doctor Westphalen said I was okay."

"No, Lucas, you are going to a _psychologist_."

"Dad, a shrink? You are sending me to a shrink? No, I won't go. I don't need to talk to _anyone; _I'm fine," Lucas said, getting upset.

"Lucas, you have not been yourself since you were taken. Being on _seaQuest _since then hasn't helped at all. You won't talk to us. You need help that I can't give you," Nathan pleaded.

"NO!" he shouted. "Why are you doing this? I don't want to think about it. I am fine, and I'd be much happier if people would just leave me ALONE!"

"Lucas, you can't say you're fine with what happened at the mall today," Robert put in.

"What happen at the mall today?" Nathan asked. Nathan listened in shock as Robert explained the scene to him. "Lucas, you _are_ going tomorrow, end of story. So get to bed."

Lucas stomped of to his room and slammed the door.

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><p><strong>Once again thank you all for reading my story. Please rate and review. You all rock. I enjoy hearing from you. <strong>


	10. Lashing Out and Making Changes

**Here is another chapter for you. Still own nothing but I hope you all enjoy.**

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><p>Dad, Lucas was not at all happy about going to see a doctor tomorrow," Robert said after Lucas had stormed out of the room.<p>

"I know, but he needs to go."

"Hey, I agree, but he is going to hate us both for a while."

"I have a feeling me more than you."

"Well, I am going to head to bed. You have a good night, Dad." And with that, Robert went to his and Lucas's room.

"Lucas, you had better get up; we have an hour to get to the doctor now. Let's move…now!" Bridger said while shaking Lucas's shoulder.

"I AM NOT GOING," Lucas yelled back.

"You _are_ going. So move, or no computer or Internex for six month. Let's go," Bridger said.

"Fine, but you can't make me talk to the doctor," Lucas grumbled while getting dressed.

"What?"

"Nothing, Dad."

Half an hour later, Nathan and Lucas sat outside Dr. Wendy Smith's office.

"Good morning, Captain Bridger," Wendy said as she walked up to them. "I received Dr. Westphalen's notes on Lucas's medical history, and what we know about Diego. You ready to talk to me, Lucas?"

"No," Lucas retorted.

"I won't hurt you; we are just going to talk," Wendy promised.

"Whatever," Lucas said as he got up to follow her.

"So Lucas, your father told me that you have been having some problems since Diego held you hostage and abused you," Wendy stated.

"Only Dad thinks so. I'm fine. I just need to be left alone," Lucas grumbled, sitting on a couch, arms crossed over his chest.

"You went through something horrible. It is normal to be affected by an event like that, but you can't act like it never happen," she warned. "You father, Dr. Westphalen, and your brother are all worried about you."

"Let me guess; they say that I've changed, more quiet and withdrawn. Well, maybe _you_ should understand. Those people have only known me a little over a year. How can they claim to know me that well?" Lucas spat. "Can you honestly say you can know someone completely after a year?"

"No, but I have gotten a hold of your old friends, and they all say the same-that you are normally lively and energetic. And, apparently, all that changed after being taken by Diego. Can you honestly tell me different?"

"Doctor, you yourself said that people change after these kinds of events, so maybe I have too. You know, before all this, people in the crew would get mad if I hung around all the time. But now, they always hang out around _me_. So, maybe you should be talking to them about how _they_ have changed, not _me_."

"Lucas, have you ever talked to a psychologist before this?"

"Yes, my real parents sent me after the divorce, and the fact that I was a genius and around older kids earned me a ticket to more shrinks than I would have liked."

"Okay, well we are done for today then. Will you please send your father in?" Wendy said with the same calm voice she had used throughout the whole session.

Once Nathan was sitting comfortably, Wendy said, "Captain, your son is having a hard time adjusting to normal life again. I think most of it is due to the fact he has never really lead a normal life," Wendy explained. "I am under the understanding that you are on leave for the next three months. Is that right?"

"Call me Nathan, and that is right."

"What are you planning on doing?"

"We were going to go to my island for about a month, then work on improvements to the boat. Why do you ask?"

"Could those plans be changed? I want to try something a little different with Lucas."

"What would that be?"

"I want you to stay near town so I can continue with our sessions, but the main treatment will be at home. I want Lucas to be around kids his own age. If you know of any friends, they could help. Lucas needs to feel normal to feel safe before he can truly be himself again. I think he is still afraid and he clings to the adults in his world for protection, which is good…_to a point_. But, I think he is_ too_ dependent on you. He needs to be around immature, independent, unruly teenagers. Do you think you could manage to stay in town and do that?"

"I can rent a house on the beach here; I was looking at one for when we return. I guess we can move in now. I can also see if Wolfman and Juliana could come to visit for a while."  
>"Wolfman?"<p>

"He is a friend of Lucas's on the Internex. You know that many people use a handle on the Internex, and Lucas never told me the kid's real name."

"Oh, well, we will try this for a month and see how his temperament and attitude changes. Then, we'll go from there, and I will see him twice a week. So, I will see you in three days," Wendy said, and they left the office.

Nathan went into action as soon as they returned home. He called and set up their living situation for the next three months. He chose a house near the beach so that Darwin could come by, but it was less than twenty minutes from town, so Lucas would not have a long commute. He had Juliana coming out for a two week stay out of every month for the duration of the leave, and Wolfman arranged to have the entire time off to hang with Lucas. He understood that Lucas needed to be a kid again and was all for helping. It was decided to let Lucas get his driver's license as planned. Robert agreed to stay with them to help as well. The rest of the crew was told to give Lucas some space, but they would be over every Monday night for barbecue and grilling. Lucas was not at _all_ happy with the arrangement. He wanted to get away, but everyone was pulling at him to connect. He had no idea his friends were coming.

"Hey Frankenstein, how the hell have you been?" Wolfman yelled as he walked in the door with Robert, who had brought him to the house.  
>"Wolfman!" Lucas said, astonished. "What are you doing here?"<p>

"I am here for the next three months, and nice digs."

"How?"

"Your dad called me and said you needed some time with teens, so here I am. But Dude, your house is awesome. You went from one rich dad to another, and Robert is awesome too," Wolfman said as Nathan walked in.

"So _Wolfman_, since you are going to be here awhile, what_ is_ your real name?" Nathan asked.

"Nick."

"Well, Nick, your room is upstairs next to Lucas's, so you can put your stuff away," Nathan instructed.

"Cool." And with that, Lucas and Nick headed upstairs.

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><p><strong>Thank you all for Rating and Reviewing please keep it up.<strong>


	11. Moving On

**I still own nothing but continue writing for all of you. I hope you all like it. **

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><p>Once Nick was all settled and away from the adults, Lucas started in on the questioning.<p>

"Wolfman, why are you even here?" Lucas cornered him.

"Your dad asked me to come; he said you needed some time with friends, so I came. Hey, Juliana is going to be here in a couple weeks too. We thought you would be _happy_ to see us," Nick shot back.

"There has to be an angle here. Why now? We were _supposed _to go to the island for the next month, but this stupid shrink Dad is making me see must have made him change his mind," Lucas said while turning on his computer. "There is something different about her, and I am going to find out what. You want to help me?"

"You know I am always up for a good hack," Nick smiled. "This is a nice computer system you got here."

"Yeah, my dad has a way of giving me what I want. He barely says no to me. Robert is taking me driving tomorrow to practice for my license."

"Cool; so what is this shrink's name?"

"Dr. Wendy Smith."

Meanwhile, a knock came to the front door downstairs.

"Good afternoon, Kristin, what brings you here?" Nathan asked upon opening the door.

"Just came to check on you boys. How is everyone doing?" Kristin asked in a crisp, sing-song voice.

"Good, would you like to come in for a cup of tea?"

"That would be lovely," Kristin said and upon scanning the house she added, "Where is Lucas and Robert?"

"Well, Robert is in town doing some grocery shopping for the house, and Lucas is upstairs with Nick."

"Who is Nick?" Kristin asked, not recognizing the name.

"Wolfman, I should say. He is one of Lucas friends he met on the Internex," Nathan explained.

"The one he meet at Node 3?" Kristin asked to clarify.

"Yes, he is staying the summer here with us."

"What brought that on?"  
>"After we saw Wendy last Monday, she told me that Lucas needs to live in a more teenage enviorment rather than the adult world he is used to. We are staying in New Cape Quest all summer, so I brought Nick to stay. And, Juliana will be staying two weeks every month as well."<p>

"I would be prepared for a little trouble this summer then," Kristin put in.

"I know; how funny, but I hope they do get in a little trouble," Nathan said.

"Oh, a parent who _wants_ their child to misbehave. This is new."

"Well, I know how weird it sounds, but if Lucas is getting into trouble, then I know Lucas is getting back to normal."

"True," Kristin said with a laugh.

"I can't believe Dad is sending me to an empath," Lucas blurted out, looking at his computer screen.

"What?" Nick said, looking up from a computer magazine to stare at the screen.

"An empathy," Lucas replied. "It means she can read other people's feelings and emotions, even one's thoughts. It says she attended a special institute for other people like her. How could my dad send me to someone like her?" Lucas seethed. "So if I refuse to talk she can just probe me for information instead. Why is he doing this?"

"I don't know, man. Why don't you talk to him? He may not even know she has these abilities. He may be just as upset as you," Nick reasoned.

"Fine!" Lucas said standing up and printing off the information they had found. "We will find out right now." With that, he stormed downstairs.

Kristin and Nathan were sitting at the bar in the kitchen, sipping tea, when Lucas stomped into the room.

"Lucas, what is going on?" Bridger asked startled.

"Did you know?" he nearly yelled.

"Know what, kiddo? You need to calm down," Nathan said as he moved to physically grab Lucas and sit him down, but Lucas moved away.

"Know that Dr. Smith was an empath?"

"What?"

"She's an empath; she can read minds," Lucas said, handing Nathan the papers in his hands.

Nathan took a moment to look over all the papers before replying.

"Listen, kiddo, I didn't know she was an empathy. If I did, I would have told you, buddy. I did not think to look into her since Kristin suggested her," Nathan replied.

"Did _you _know?" Lucas asked, turning to Kristin.

"I had heard something about her being having the ability, but I never knew for sure," Kristin reasoned.

"So what if I don't want to talk? You just send me to someone who can just pull it out of my head?" Lucas seethed.

"No, honey, that is not true," Kristin said, holding Lucas's hands. "I would never do something so devious to you, and I know that you know that. We have always been straightforward with you, right?"

"Yes," he whispered, starting to feel guilty for his behavior while looking around the room to each person there, his dad, Kristin, and Nick, who was standing quietly in the corner. "Sorry"

"It's alright, kiddo. But, in the future, just ask calmly rather than bursting in like that when you want to know something, okay?"

"Yeah."

The weeks rolled by quickly. After a long talk with Wendy Smith, Lucas agreed to keep seeing her. Lucas kept driving with Robert and passed his driving test. Juliana came for the two weeks, as promised, and Lucas was slowly returning to his old self. And construction on _seaQuest _began.

"Hey, Dad, can Nick and I go to a party tonight?" Lucas asked.

"Not tonight, kiddo. We have to go to a dinner."

"You mean with old stuffy dignitaries?"

"Yes, but the whole senior crew is going to be there, and Nick can come too," Nathan said, trying to make it sound less boring.

"Fine, I'll go, but I won't promise to enjoy it," Lucas said with his classic smile.

"That is all I ask," Bridger said as he handed Lucas a suit.

"What is this?" Lucas asked.

"A suit; it's black tie," Nathan replied. Then, he handed him another suit. "This is for Nick; he will probably need one as well."

"I hate dressing up," Lucas grimaced.

"I know, but it is only for one night," Bridger reasoned.

"Fine," Lucas said, taking the suits upstairs to where Nick was working on the computer.

"We leave here at six, which is in four hours, so you better be ready," Nathan informed.

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><p><strong>Thank you all for reading, please rate and review. You all rock.<strong>


	12. Past Hauntings

"Come on boys we need to leave for the dinner…NOW!" Nathan yelled up the stairs, waiting for his sons and Nick to grace him with their presence.

"We're coming," Robert called back as footsteps were heard on the stairs.

"My, don't you all look dashing," Kristin said as the boys appeared.

"Why, thank you, dear lady," Robert said, acting suave and kissing her hand as everyone laughed.

"We'd better go; we don't want to be late," Nathan reminded them.

It took them half an hour to drive to the conference hall that had been converted into a dining area; then it took another ten minutes to get through all the security. They were seated at a round table with Admiral Noyce and a couple other important figures. The senior crew all sat at a table right next to them. The first hour, they all ate dinner before the meetings started. Speakers got up and gave, in Lucas's opinion, the most boring speeches he had ever heard. Then, all hell broke loose as gunfire was heard outside the doors, and men stormed in.

"I want everyone to remain calm. My name is Señor Rodriquez, and you are all going to do as you are told so no one has to get hurt."

"What do you want with us?" an unknown diplomat asked.

"I want control of the UEO to mine minerals on the seafloor without interruptions or rules and you," Rodriquez said, looking at Lucas, "have the power to give it to me."

"He is a sixteen-year old boy; he doesn't have that kind of power," Nathan said, moving in front of his youngest son.

"He is one of the most powerful hackers alive, I know he has the power. The trick is getting him to use it. I believe he already met one of my favorite men, Mr. Diego," Rodriguez said menacingly.

Robert, who now had his hand on Lucas's shoulder felt his brother stiffen, then shudder. The crew all looked extremely agitated, and Kristin looked ready to faint.

"You will stay the hell away from my son," Nathan said, looking angry but in control.

"Now, now, Captain; as I said before, as long as the boy does as he is told, no one gets hurt," Rodriguez said calmly.

"Go to hell," Lucas shouted as everyone in the room stared and whispered.

"I don't think so, my dear boy, but the others in this room may not be so lucky if you don't close that smart mouth," Rodriquez gave a nod, and a shot was fired, causing Robert crumpled to the ground, grabbing his leg. Everyone else in the room gasped. Kristin and Nathan both rushed toward him, but were grabbed by two men. They both struggled, but the men were strong. "Stop struggling! Here is the deal; the doctor here can stop the bleeding in dear Robert's leg If you, young Lucas, will do as you are told. How about it?"

"Don't do anything he says, Lucas," Robert gasped through the pain.

A man walked up to Rodriguez and whispered something in his ear. "Well, it seems we have another ace hacker in the building." Everyone looked around and whispered. "Nick, also known online as Wolfman; not as talented as young Lucas here, but he may work. What do you say, boy?"

"No!" Nick spat. "I have been used before, and it will not happen again."

"Well, then seems we are at a standstill here. No one is willing to save this man, so maybe he should be put out of his misery?" Rodriquez asked with a laugh.

"No!" Lucas and Nathan yelled.

"If you want me, than take me; let everyone else go," Lucas pleaded as he saw his brother getting weaker.

"You do have a point; we don't need all these people in here. So, we are going to empty the tables, one be one. However, the _seaQuest_ crew and the Bridger family remain. I don't need you all causing me any trouble."

"Let Robert go with them," Nathan demanded.

"I don't see why not; he is of no use to me. And if he dies, that may distract Lucas from his work, so he can leave."

It took nearly an hour for all the diplomats and waiters to leave the building. Rodriquez then took the remaining crew and personnel and sat them at different tables, Ben and Commander Ford in one corner, Katie and Miguel across the room. Then O'Neill and Crocker were placed in another far corner, while Nathan, Kristin, Nick and Lucas sat at a table in the middle of the room.

"Now that it's just us, let's get back to work," Rodriquez said with a smile. "Now, Lucas or Nick, one of you is going to get me the command codes for the UEO Naval Codes. Which one will it be?"

"I won't help you!" Lucas spat. "You can't just put yourself in power by force. People will not follow a dictator."

"You need to check that smart mouth of yours before your father here meets the same sticky end as your last father. You know, have you ever noticed that you are like poison everywhere you go? The people around you are constantly getting hurt because of events that revolve around you," Rodriquez said, trying to mentally break the boy down. "I mean, are you stupid enough not to notice, or are you just apathetic enough to not care?"

"That is not true, Lucas," Ben said from across the room, "We all care about you; we chose to stand by you like we are now."

"Shut up," Rodriquez yelled as the man nearest Ben punched him in the gut.

"Leave them alone," Lucas said with a pained voice.

"I will leave them alone when you get me the codes that I asked for."

"I can't get you the codes; they are more heavily guarded than the World Bank. You would have to be on a computer connected to the network at UEO headquarters itself, and there is no way you can get in there," Lucas explained." Not to mention, I WILL NOT HELP YOU!"

"Have it your way then," Rodriquez stated as another shot was fired.

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><p><strong>Thank You all for Reading. Please rate and review.<strong>


	13. Author Note Please Read

Well Readers I am having a serious case of writers block. I can't decide who I want to get shot so I am going to leave it up to the fans. I will let you choose form a list of people and you can decide if they should die. Please help me end my block, here is the list.

Nathan Bridger

Kristin

Lucas

Nick

Commander Ford

Katie Hitchcock

Ben

Tim O'Neill

Miguel Ortiz

Chief Crock

The person with the most votes at the end of the week will be shot. Please just send a personal message or leave it as a review. You all rock hope to here from you soon.

Nicolestarshooter


	14. Emotional Rollercoaster

**I want to apoligize to all my readers for taking so long to update. I was suffering from a serious case of writer's block complicted by a new job that left little free time. I hope you will enjoy this chapter. You all rock. **

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><p><em>"Have it your way then," Rodriquez stated as another shot was fired. <em>

Lucas whirled around to watch his father collapse onto the floor, as a red stain appeared on his chest. Lucas and Kristin rushed to his side.

"Dad, Dad" Lucas called frantically as his father lost consciousness.

"Nathan!" Kristin yelled as she grabbed cloth napkins off the table and started to apply pressure.

"Now, here is your decision, Lucas: you can do as I asked now, or watch your father die right before your very eyes," Rodriquez said while laughing menacingly at the scene before him. All the crew members had to be retained as they tried to jump from their chairs to aid their fallen captain. Nick was in utter shock, and Lucas and Kristin were in near panic.

"I will do what you want, but please let everyone else leave, peacefully," Lucas begged as he watched his father grow weaker.

"Fine; your friends can all leave. You will come with us to my lab and get us those codes," Rodriquez said, pleased that he had finally broke the boy down.

"Oh my God, Nathan!" Kristin said panicked. "Don't you do this!" She then to the others and said, "He is not breathing!"

"No!" Lucas shouted, moving next to his father. "Don't leave me, please. I need you, Dad; don't do this."

"Okay; everyone move the hostages out. Misters Ford and Ortiz, if you will, carry the captain out," Rodriquez instructed. "And you, my boy," he said, while grabbing Lucas's arm and hauling him to his feet, "are heading out the back way to get to work."

Lucas was pulled along, never taking his eyes off his father. He was pulled into a secret passage and out into a waiting car. Lucas fell asleep after feeling a prick to his neck.

"Wake up," Rodriquez sang, bending over Lucas and tapping the side of his face. "Come on, we have work to do," he ordered. Lucas' eyes fluttered open as he remembered everything that had happened to him. Now he did not know where he was or how long he had been asleep.

"Screw you," Lucas spat. "You are not getting my help, now or ever."

"Now, now, we had a deal. I let your friends go, and now, you will get me those codes."

"You outdid yourself. You have no leverage over me. Diego couldn't make me work, so what makes you think you can?" Lucas seethed.

"My dear boy," Rodriquez laughed, "if you don't do as I tell you, what Diego did to you will be a cake walk. There has never been a person I can't break; it will be more fun for me if you break hard. It's all up to you."

The senior crew of _seaQues_t stood in the waiting room of a nearby hospital.

"So, who is going to break the news to Robert?" Tim asked, looking at the faces of all his friends.

"Which one is worse, the news of his dad, or that, once again, Lucas has been kidnapped by people who will do God knows what to him?" Ben asked rudely out of worry. "I mean, how much loss can a guy suffer before it becomes too much?"

"I don't know, Ben, but we will find Lucas," Jonathan said.

"Any ideas how?" Nick asked, worried about his friend.

"We need to find a way to find out where they went first," Miguel put in.

"I don't know if it was just me, guys, but he reeked of phosphate," Katie said. "He must have been exposed to a lot of it not too long ago."

"Well this is Florida, and Florida is known to be one of the biggest phosphate miners," Tim added. "The mines were centered in the middle of the state."

"Maybe we should start looking there. Any new properties that were bought or large movement of computers and supplies will be a clue," Katie said. "It is going to take some time to get through the files though."

"No, it won't," Nick said as everyone turned to him since he had been sitting quietly a corner up until this point. "I may not be as skilled as Lucas at hacking, but I can hold my own."

"How soon can you get the information?" Jonathan asked, taking charge of forming a rescue plan.

"Get me to a computer, and it should not take more than a couple hours," Nick stated.

"Okay, we will take you back to Bridger's home, and you can use Lucas's computer. Katie, you stay here and wait for Kristin and news. The guys and I will help Nick gather information. Kristin will probably need you here anyway," Jonathan stated.

"You are trying my patience," Rodriquez spat after Lucas once again refused to do his bidding.

"Why do you want control of the UEO? I mean, why do you want the responsibility of millions of lives?" Lucas asked.

"Here is a question for you: why would anyone want to be responsible for you?" he sneered, "I mean, you don't have the best track record. Your biological father was killed by your own adopted brother. Your brother was shot. Dr. Westphalen had gotten kidnapped. And now, your new father's life hangs in the balance. You are just a curse, aren't you? Everyone near you is in danger."

"Maybe you should let me go then," Lucas answered.

"No, the UEO screwed me over so I am going to correct all that they have done."

"By possibly starting a war and killing millions of people?"

"If need be, yes. The UEO has let power go to its head, creating life, then locking it away, experimenting on prisoners. Tell me, boy, have you ever heard of a Dagger?"

"Yes, it is a genetically engineered life form. They were created to be the perfect soldier, until the UEO saw them as unstable. Then, they were locked away. What does that have to do with anything?"  
>"GELFs don't, but experimenting does. My younger brother was sent to prison for robbing a store to get money for out starving family. They gave him a lighter sentence if he was subjected to experiments on his body while there. He agreed and died six months later from complications."<br>"If he knew and agreed to the experiments, then the UEO was not at fault. It was his decision," Lucas said. Rodriquez slapped him across the face in response.

"Let's let the fun begin." Two men walked in with a huge tub of water and grabbed Lucas.

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><p><strong>Thank you all for reading please rate and reveiw.<strong>


	15. Searching for a sign

**I want to apoligize for taking so long to upload. I have had little time lately and I feel bad about not keeping my promise to upload at least once a week. I have started to take a notebook to work so I can write on my lunch hour. I hope this chapter was worth the wait.**

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><p>Lucas was once again pulled out of the water. It seemed like they had been at this for hours. Lucas was breathing heavily, and his lungs felt like they would burst. Two men dragged him over to a bed and tossed him down. Then, they all left the room. Lucas lay there, attempting to catch his breath. He had inhaled quite a bit of water, and his lungs still burned from exertion as he fell into a restless sleep.<p>

Slowly, Robert began to regain consciousness as he lay in a hospital room and remembered the events of the day before. He quickly pressed the call button and waited for a nurse to come in.

"Good; you're awake," a female nurse chimed upon seeing Robert.

"What happen?" Robert said trying to clear his head.

"You were shot at a conference for the UEO. I Only know what is being said on the news; some men held the room at gunpoint. You and one other person were shot. They eventually let everyone go, except they kidnapped a boy who was attending the conference with his father. They did not give any names or details. Sorry."

The next two days passed slowly as he waited for news on his and still hearing nothing began to demand something. His nurse from that first day walked into his room.

"Have you contacted anyone about me being awake yet? I need to know how the search is going; the boy that was taken may have been my little brother. I need to know what happen?" Robert said as the events of the previous day rushed back to him.

"I will get a doctor to check you out and then see what I can do about information.."

"Thank you, ma'am"

"Call me Lisa"

"Thank you, Lisa"

A couple hours later the doctor finished the exam and two women walked into Robert's room with tear-filled eyes.

"Kristin. Where's everyone else? Where's Dad?" Robert asked. "Who was the other person who got shot?"

"Robert," Kristin began. "After you left, we were stuck in the dining room for hours. Lucas kept refusing to help hack into the UEO database, so Rodriguez shot Nathan."

"Dad! Is he okay?" Robert said, panicked.

"He was shot in the chest and quit breathing before we were allowed to leave. He is alive, but he is not breathing on his own," Kristin said as tears slid down her face.

"Who is looking for Lucas?"

"Most of the UEO is, but they have Commander Ford heading the search. We believe they are held up near a phosphate mine somewhere; most of the men reeked of it."

With that, Robert sat up and tried to swing his legs off the bed.

"Where do you think you are going?" Kristin asked, moving forward to stop him as doctor mode kicked in.

"I am going to find my brother. If Dad can't look for him, I will." Robert said, determined. "I made Dad a promise that if anything happened to him, I would take care of Lucas, and that is exactly what I plan on doing."

"Then, all the more reason to stay in bed and take care of yourself _for _Lucas," Kristin reasoned. "Now stay in bed, or I will have your doctor sedate you!'

"Fine, but I want updates every hour on how the search is going."

"I will let the Commander and everyone else know?."

"I got something!" Nick shouted "There are quite a few phosphate mines located in central Florida, and most of them were mined out and closed in 2018 when underwater mining became more popular. The only problem is that it's still quite a few square miles to cover."

"Good work," Ford and Ben both said, moving to look at the information the young man had gathered. "Get me a list of any recently purchased properties in the last six months."

"Why six months?" Miguel asked.

"These are the same people responsible for Lucas being taken by Diego, which was two months ago, so, with planning, it could go back at least that far."

"On it!" Nick said, getting back to work. Twenty minutes later, Nick was still typing away, until he muttered, "Damn it!"

"What?" Ben asked, turning to the frustrated teen.

"I keep hitting a wall. Whoever set up the anti-hacker guards was a great hacker him or herself."

"Why would he or she be a hacker?" Tim asked, a little confused.

"Only a great hacker knows how to stop another hacker. Like our Internex accounts hackers set up additional guards on their accounts. Lucas and I are constantly hacking each other, except I can never get into Lucas's while he is always hacking mine. Anyway, the problems is, I can't get to the some of the records it's like someone had put a safeguard against this information."

"Keep trying; we will get through," Ford encouraged as his PAL beeped.

"_Commander, it's Kristin. Robert just woke up and wants to know how the search for Lucas is going?" _

"We have narrowed down the search area to Midland, Florida, but we keep hitting road blocks on recently purchased land or properties. All the names I can find are just environmental companies or other mining companies none of them related to Rodriquez. Tell Robert we will find him. How is the Captain?"

"_No change, but he has to be alright. If anyone can make it through, he can."_

_"_You keep an eye on them, and we will worry about Lucas."

A young nurse walked into Robert Bridger's room, carting a lunch tray, only to see the man attempting to leave.

_"_Sir, your doctor does not wish for you to leave that bed yet; you will only hurt yourself further," she stated as she sat down the tray and pushed Robert back to the bed.

"I just want to go see my father; he is a patient here. Nathan Bridger."

"I'm sorry, but the doctor said for you to stay off your leg and remain in bed."

"No offense, but I don't care. So, you can help me by getting me a wheelchair, or I will just walk down there myself," Robert stated, once again attempting to leave his bed and walk out.

"Sir, just give me a moment to speak to your doctor, and I will see what I can do, okay?" Robert nodded, pleased. He waited for twenty minutes before the nurse returned, pushing a wheel chair. "The doctor says you can go for a few minutes,```````` but no walking."

It took them ten minutes to cross the hospital and arrive in ICU.

"Can I have a moment alone" Robert asked, turning to the nurse. She nodded, then moved to stay outside the door.

"Oh, Dad, You need to fight and get past this. You know, growing up I had nightmares and fears of seeing you like this. You were always my hero, though I may not have always showed it." Robert began to tear up, looking as his father. "I know I acted out in my teen years, and at times, was just plain rebellious, but, deep down, I just feared losing you. I mean, sure, you were always away or busy, but I was happy knowing that if I ever really needed you to be there, you were." Tears were now flowing freely as he attempted to finish. "Listen, you need to get better, not just for me, but for Lucas too. He already lost one dad because of me. Please, you have to be okay because, if you aren't, then I don't think Lucas ever will be. He loves you so much, even when he doesn't show it. He needs you. I need you."

Suddenly, alarms went off, and the steady beeping of Nathan's heartbeat sounding through the monitor became a long flat bleep. A mass of doctors and nurses ran into the room and moved Robert out into the hall.

"NO, DAD, don't do this please; we all still need you."

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><p><strong>Please rate and review.<strong>


	16. The Lost are Found

**I know that I have been saying this alot, but I must once again apoligize for taking so long. I am trying to find more time but it can be hard. I promise though that I will never stop writing it may just take awhile. Please enjoy. **

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><p>Lucas awoke in his dark, damp room with a fit of coughing. His chest felt like an elephant was sitting on it; all he could so was wheeze out every breathe.<p>

"Pneumonia can set in so quickly under such harsh conditions, can't it?" Rodriquez sneered, bringing Lucas's attention to him for the first time. "I mean, the damp room, stress, worrying if your father is dead or alive. For all you know, he is dead and left poor little Lucas all alone"

"Go to Hell, you bastard!" Lucas spat, sending him into another coughing fit.

"Now, now, what would Daddy say about that dirty mouth? Now, are you going to get me those codes, or do we need to find other means of persuasion?"

"Mr. Bridger, your father has been stabilized and is actually breathing on his own now. It may be a little while before he wakes up. I have instructions to take you back to your own room, but we will tell you as soon as he has awaken. Now, if you will excuse me, I need to check on a few other patients, but I'll be back after that.

"Thank you"

"Nick," Ben called from the room across the hall, "Was Lucas wearing the new watch the captain gave him?"

"Yes," Nick replied, "He wears that thing nearly everywhere."

"Then, Commander, I think I have something"

"What?" Ford asked urgently.

"When I was on the captain's computer checking his messages, one was from a military acquaintance asking how the new tracking device he gave him was working out," Ben explained.

"What does that have to do with Lucas's watch?" Miguel asked.

"Robert was telling me that the captain was trying to find a better and less-intrusive way to keep tabs on Lucas other than calling him all the time, since Lucas was getting irritated from the attention. I would bet anything that the new watch the captain gave him has a tracking device in it."

"Good, but we need to find out the frequency the signal is broadcast on and a pass code to activate the signal. The captain would not use a common frequency; it would be too easy to hack. We need to find out where he installed the tracking program," Ford deduced.

"Maybe the signal is broadcast to the house?" Tim stated. So while Nick continued his work searching for Lucas using the Internex, the rest of the men searched all the computers and electronics in the house, finding nothing.

"It was a good theory," Tim said, trying to cheer up the more-depressed Ben.

"Wait, guys; we need to think about this logically. Why would the captain be getting the signal set here? They would only be living here a couple more months and then just going back to _seaQuest_. Why would he not just upload the program to _seaQuest_?" Nick asked.

"Ben, Miguel, you stay here. Tim, you and I are going to have a chat with the professor," Ford said taking charge again.

It took forty-five minutes to drive across town to the dry-docked _seaQuest_ and another five to get to the captain's quarters. Tim turned on the professor.

"Good day, Commander Ford," the hologram spoke.

"Professor, I need to know if the captain has personally uploaded any tracking programs into the computer."

"The captain said to give you the information if you came asking. Yes, two weeks ago, the captain installed the program to keep an eye on his youngest son."

"Can you activate the program?"

"Yes, if you will direct you vision to the vidcom screen. The signal is coming from 28 degrees north, 82 degrees west. "

"Thank you, Professor," Ford said, exciting the captain's quarters and heading back to the launch to retrieve his PAL. "Crocker, this if Ford; we have a location on Lucas. Please assemble a rescue crew and meet us at the captain's home. We move out in one hour." Ford and Tim swung by the hospital, picking up Kristin to take with them for medical support, which they did not doubt Lucas would need.

"You are trying my patience, Mr. Wolenczak," Rodriquez said as be backhanded Lucas across the face once again, causing him to land on the hard floor in a coughing fit.

"It's Bridger, and I will never help you," Lucas gasped between coughs.

"Do you wish to die? All you need is to get me those codes; then you can safely return home," Rodriquez reasoned. "Or maybe you like it here? I mean, your father is probably dead. What do you have left?"

"Go to Hell!"

Unknown to Rodriquez and his men, a unit of the _seaQuest's _best men was moving in on their position under the command of Commander Ford.

"Now remember, this is a rescue mission. We want to capture Rodriquez, but we need to locate and secure Lucas," Ford instructed, "Doc, I want you to wait here; you and the med team can head in as soon as we radio for you. Alright, let's move in."

Meanwhile inside….

"My dear Lucas, I am going to give you one more chance. Get me those codes, NOW!"

"And I told you, GO…..TO…..HELL!" Lucas spat at him once again as Rodriquez pulled out a gun, pointing it at Lucas's head.

"You first," Rodriquez said as his finger tightened on the trigger.

Katie rushed into Roberts's room soon after Kristin left with the Commander. She had volunteered to stay and inform Robert and the captain if he woke up before Kristin returned with Lucas.

"What is the emergency, Katie?" Robert asked.

"We think that we have located Lucas. Your dad put a tracking device in his new watch, and as long as he is still wearing the watch, we have him located. Ford and the others are one their way to retrieve him. Doc went with them."

"Do they know anything about how bad he may be hurt?"

"No, but we will be the first to know as soon as he has been assessed."

"Good. Could you go wait for them and tell me as soon as you know?"

"Of course."

"Thanks."

Suddenly, the door blew open. "Put the gun down now!" Ford yelled, pointing his own gun at Rodriquez, who began to laugh.

"Well, well, well," he said. "What a situation we have here! The question now becomes, can I shoot young Lucas here before you shoot me? Why don't we just try it?"

A shot rang out, and Rodriquez fell dead to the floor, dropping his own gun, causing it to discharge, and Lucas crumpled to the floor.

"Lucas!" Ford yelled, moving down next to the young man and grabbing his PAL. "Doc, you need to get in here, NOW!"

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><p><strong>Thank you to all those who have not given up on my story and the long periods beteween updates. Please rate and review. You are all amazing. <strong>


	17. Author note

**I want to apoligize to all my readers for taking so long to update. I was suffering from a serious case of writer's block complicted by a new job that left little free time. I was unexpectedly fired from my old job then had to find another. I have not nor will I ever drop a story. I have part of a chapter and will try to get the whole chapter written for you guys soon. Please forgive me for not updating sooner. **

**Nicole**


	18. Waking up

**I finaly got a chance to finish the chapter. I just can't believe it took me a month to do it which I totally appligize for. I hope you enjoy. **

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><p>Lucas began to move through the fog, only feeling pain; his chest and body ached as he attempted to open his eyes and move. He was no longer on the hard concrete floor; it was soft and warm. His throat ached; as he tried to speak, he realized there was something lodged down his throat as he couched and gagged.<p>

"Calm down, Lucas," a smooth female voice spoke, "It's okay; you are safe. The object you feel in your throat is a tube helping you breathe. You have a bad case of pneumonia, and quit breathing," Kristin explained while overjoyed that Lucas was awake. He slowly calmed, and she continued, "You are in the hospital right now; we found you last night. You went into respiratory failure, and we were all were really worried about you."

Not thirty seconds later, Robert and Ben came in the door. Robert, still in a wheelchair as doctor's orders were to not walk on his leg, was excited to see Lucas awake and wheeled over as fast as he could.

"Hey, little brother, how you feeling?" Robert asked, taking his hand. "Doc, how long does he need the breathing tube for?" he asked, knowing how uncomfortable it was making Lucas.

"Well, since I don't have a say at this hospital, I will find his doctor and tell him Lucas is awake, but if he's breathing on his own, probably no more than twenty-four hours," Kristin said, knowing that, between Robert and Ben, that Lucas was in good hands.

Ben walked over to a nearby table and grabbed a pen and paper while Robert would not take his eyes off his baby brother.

"Hey, Lucas," Ben said, getting his attention, "If you want to say anything, then just write it down."

Taking the paper Lucas wrote down two words "Where's Dad?"

By that time, Kristin had returned with a doctor who injected medication into Lucas's IV.

"Your father is actually in his bed in the next room. He, like yourself, has a long road ahead, but you should both be fine with time. Now, you need rest, young man, while I inform your father how you are," Kristin said as she pulled the bedding up further and brushed the hair from Lucas's eyes as he began nodding off from his medication.

"I will go and tell everyone else how Lucas is doing," Ben volunteered as he headed out of the room, giving Lucas one last look.

Down the hall, the senior crew of _seaQuest_, along with Nick and a scared and worried Juliana, who had arrived a few minutes earlier, turned as Ben walked through the door of the waiting room.

"Lucas woke up a few minutes ago. He is breathing better, but they are leaving the tube thing in for another twenty-four hours. Doc went to check on the captain, because Lucas asked about him, and Robert is still in Lucas's room," Ben informed them as they all breathed a sigh of relief.

"Shouldn't Robert be resting as well though?" Katie reasoned.

"The doc was going to see about having Lucas being put in Robert's room once he is moved out of ICU because the look on Robert's face says he is not going anywhere," Ben said. It never ceased to amaze him how close Robert and Lucas had gotten. Robert, at this point, had practically named himself Lucas's guard after everything that had happen in the last year. "How did things go with Rodriquez?"

"He was dead, like we thought. All the men were captured. It is truly the end," Ford said, feeling truly relived. Though he never showed much emotion, he cared about Lucas and was happy to see him safe.

The next week rolled by slowly for everyone. The senior crew kept busy working on _seaQuest's_ repairs. Nick had gotten temporary security clearance, allowing him to do all the updates and work that Lucas was needed for. Nick was sitting at the computer in Lucas's room under the watchful eye of Ben Krieg, who sat on Lucas's bed. The reason was that although Nick had been given clearance, the UEO did not fully trust him inside government files that were on the _seaQuest_. Ben had to hold in a laugh at this when he was told to watch Nick. The UEO had no idea how many government files that Lucas had accessed just for something to do in his free time.

"How is the work coming?" Ben asked, again slightly bored after watching Nick all day.

"Almost done with all the updates. I don't understand how Lucas can stand doing this all the time; it is so boring," Nick complained. Uploading files was not his normal line of work;_ hacking_ those files excited him.

"Lucas is just special; he wants to help people. and he just sees his work as helping the people on this ship. It's simply who Lucas is; he has always put others before himself," Ben explained. "Well, we should get going. Lucas and Robert are being released today, and I told the doc I would drive them all home. The cap has another week before he can leave, and when it comes to medical care, he is the same as his sons."

"You ready to get out of here?" Robert asked, looking over at Lucas, who was dressed and sitting on his bed.

"Yes, I just wish Dad was going home with us too," Lucas said, not looking up from his lap.

"I know, but he is coming home next week," Robert said, trying to make him happy.

"Can we go see him before we leave today?" Lucas asked. Ever since they had rescued him from Rodriquez, Lucas had reverted to his quiet, submissive behavior.

"Of course, buddy; we can go see Dad. He will be happy to see you as he has been so worried since neither of you two have been well enough to visit each other until now," Robert explained.

"Thanks. Can we go now before everyone gets here, please?" Lucas practically whispered.

"Sure," Robert agreed, grabbing his crutches as they went to see their father.

Nathan Bridger was sitting in bed, thinking about his sons who Kristin said were being released today. He had not seen Lucas since falling unconscious in the dining hall and had tried unsuccessfully to see him since he was admitted a week before. Nathan looked up from the book he had been reading to see Robert hobble through the door, followed by Lucas. Lucas's eyes lit up for the first time since being taken hostage when he looked at his father.

"Hey, kiddo, how you doing?" Nathan asked his youngest, stretching out his hand to take Lucas's.

"Okay," came a reply nearly too low to even here.

"Don't give me that, Lucas. I know you too well. Why don't you be honest with me?" Bridger said, looking at Robert, who got the hint and left the room.

Once they were alone, Lucas moved to sit on the edge of Nathan's bed.

"I was so scared I was going to lose you. He kept telling me you were dead, and no one would come for me," Lucas said, breaking down for the first time. "I know I am smart and sixteen but I don't want to lose you, no matter how old I get. You were one of the few people who always saw me as Lucas the person, not Lucas the genius. Please don't leave me yet." Lucas began coughing as his breathing became rough.

"I love you too, kiddo. Now breathe because I am not going anywhere," Bridger soothed as Robert reentered the room.

"Hey, guys; Ben, Kristin, and Nick are here to take us home," Robert said.

"Go on, kiddo, I will see you soon. You go home and do exactly as Kristin asks, okay?" Bridger said in his father/captain tone.

"Yes, Sir," Lucas agreed, while moving to leave. "See you soon"

Bridger felt a lot better after seeing Lucas well and opening up. They had a long road ahead of them once again, but he had not doubt they would get there.

* * *

><p><strong>The End.<strong>

**Well this story took me a long time to write and I hope you all enjoyed reading it. I am thinking of either do a sequal or just startign an all new seaQuest fic. I have not decieded yet. Well thank you all for reading this story and thank you to Darkin520 for being an amazing beta reader. YOu all rock. **


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